How To Get the Truth Out of a Magician
by Mint Cherise
Summary: Kurogane decides make Fai own up to his feelings. When a mysterious witch offers her help and Kurgane accepts, things become a tad bit complicated
1. Fai Continues to Hide Things

"There's a difference between love and like," the dark haired man snapped at the giddy magician. He was always doing this, and it was just about wearing thin on Kurogane's nerves.

The other smiled, crossing his arms in mock annoyance. "Kuro-sama, I don't know what in the world you're talking about. I lo-o-o-ve you, and Sakura-chan, and Sayoran-kun. What's wrong with that?"

Kurogane put his forehead against his palm, restraining the urge to strangle a magician, and the biggest darn flirt in the world. Fai knew perfectly well what he was doing. He knew that Kurogane was a mess of confusion, self denial, and altogether lust. Yet he continued to say stupid things like 'I love you' and 'Daddy Kuro'. Besides these things being extremely irksome, they gave Kurogane a fluster he'd rather not have. Good thing the kids weren't here, because Kurogane was going to end this now.

Kurogane sighed. "Listen here you dumb magician, if you don't stop saying stupid things like that-" He was cut off short by Fai, who put a finger to Kurogane's bottom lip and chirped, "But why shouldn't I say the truth? I love you~ Don't you love me Kuro-puu?" His two blues eyes sparkled with the wonderful shine of an idiot who knew better, so obviously Kurogane was sent into a pissy mood.

The dark haired man wrapped his fingers around the blonds slender wrist, causing the others smile to falter slightly. "Let me finish damnit." He leaned close to Fai's ear, all the while wondering when he had begun to care so much about the fool. "If you don't stop saying stupid things like that I won't let you play dumb anymore. You know what they mean, I know you do. If you don't have the intention to take responsibility for what you say, I'll make you." He didn't release the others wrist, but waited patiently for an answer.

Fai's smile stayed in place as it seeped out of his eyes. "I, I don't want you to worry. It's not like…" He paused and then continued, "Heh, you shouldn't be so serious Kuro-san."

Those weren't the words Kurogane had been hoping for. He released his friend's wrist, and looked away from dead eyes; they lied too often for Kurogane to believe in them. "You shouldn't be so self deceptive magician. All you do is lie to yourself." The black haired man looked up again at the blond, catching the flutter of his defenses. "What do you want? What the hell are you trying to get?" And why, thought Kurogane, wouldn't Fai let him give it to him?

Finally that smile dissolved into a line. "Like I said, you don't have to worry about it."

The two said nothing as they stared at one another. One glance embraced and the other patched up weakened walls. How fruitless it seemed to him. Kurogane had killed many lives; he knew how to destroy entirely. This was different from what he knew. This was saving a life, caring for a life other than his own. The sound of Sayoran and Sakura echoed outside of the small inn's doors. So Fai would once again be able to avoided what Kurogane needed him to confront. Under his breath, Kurogane muttered to him, "This isn't over, you hear?"

The blond nodded ever so slightly, "It never is." He said as the others rushed through the door.


	2. A Witch Appears To Help!

**I hope this is okay~ I wasn't sure where this fic was going, so I decided add in a witch XD Please tell me if it's worth continuing?**

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He was at a loss. After the others had returned to the room they were renting, Kurogane had stepped out. Fai hadn't said a word to him as he left the room. No, the magician had only stood there, smiling like an idiot. As if the world could fall down and he'd still be freaken smiling.

Now Kurogane was in an empty bar, far too sober to properly be moping. A few customers sat at their own tables, drinking away their day's troubles. None of them knew what it was like to be in love with an emotionally distant, flirty, annoying, damn magician. That was lucky for them.

Kurogane picked up his drink and took a sip. It was still his first round, but he just wasn't in the mood to numb his mind. He needed to figure out a way to make Fai own up to what he felt. Either that, or make him stop acting so ignorant. Fai knew what Kurogane felt; the black haired man cared for that flirt more than he cared for his own life. It terrified Kurogane to even linger on that realization, but he had already told Fai.

Yet, the other remained aloof; far too emotionally detached for his own good. If that wasn't enough to drive Kurogane crazy, Fai also continued to act as if nothing was different. He called Kurogane all of those ridiculous nicknames, with such a tone that made the ninja both want to hit and kiss the blond.

"Hello stranger."

Kurogane looked up and met with green eyes. The owner of these eyes was a girl. She was petite, her small body surrounded by her cascading blond locks. Immediately, the black haired man felt wary.

"Yeah…" he replied, setting his drink down on the tabletop.

The girl's eyes narrowed as a smile curved on her lips. "You seem at a loss sir. You seem like you love someone who continues to deny his own feelings."

"Who are you?" Kurogane demanded, tensing even more than he had already been.

"You can call me Mimori, Kurogane." With that sweet, demented smile, the girl pulled out a chair and commenced to sit across from the startled black haired man. "Do not look at me like that sir! There's nothing to fear really, I'm just a witch."

"That's supposed to make me not fear?" Kurogane raised an eyebrow, unsure whether danger sat across from him or not.

"I'll have you know that I'm a good witch! A witch of love!" the girl retorted, crossing her arms childishly. "And I might just be able to help you with this Fai person that you cannot stop thinking about."

Kurogane rose from his chair, tossing down the amount he owed. "Look, I don't have time to put up with games. I don't care who you are or what you think you know, so just leave me the hell alone."

He began to walk out of the bar and away from the strange girl, but it wound up being useless. The girl rose herself, and hustled after the man quickly.

"If you'd listen to me sir, I can really help you!" Her tiny footsteps pattered against the dirty gravel. "It's my obligation as a witch of love to help a loveless, desperate person in need!"

"Wouldya just leave me alone! Why should I believe all of this witch crap when you're-" Kurogane had turned to face the girl, but she was no longer behind him. Instead there stood a voluptuous black haired woman, hand on her hip and sinister smile in place.

"Just a stupid little girl, were you going to say?"

"How'd you…"

"I'm a witch. And I want to help you out sir." She advanced towards Kurogane slowly, putting her arms around the ninja's shoulders.

"The first way to a girl's heart is to make her jealous," Mimori whispered into the black haired man's ear.

"Fai's a man." Kurogane replied stiffly.

Suddenly, there was a forceful breeze, and when Kurogane looked around he found the little blond girl again, sitting playfully on a bench. "Close enough! Gender does not matter when love is involved!"

"I don't trust you, you know?" Kurogane replied, glaring at her.

"Yeah yeah, now are we going to get the truth out of that magician or what?"

Kurogane tilted his head in confusion. This witch was purely strange, popping out of nowhere and offering her help in something that didn't involve her. There was something about her actions that struck Kurogane as devious. Not necessarily evil, but definitely not good either.

"Do whatever you'd like," he shrugged, turning away from her again. "But if you plan on harming any of my comrades, I'll strike you down before you can even think of it."

"It's a promise then." The girl giggled so loudly, that Kurgane couldn't help but give one final look back. She had disappeared from the bench already.

"Over here, mister!" She asserted, causing Kurogane to turn his head right into a kiss on the cheek.

His hand wiped away the lingering feel of the kiss, "What the hell?" he snapped into thin air.

"That'll surely make him jealous." A voice said, before leaving the ninja in silence.


	3. Jealousy Begins

**I worked on this while at the dentist all day 0.o**

**Please tell me what you think!**

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When Kurogane arrived back at the inn, the lounge was empty except for one blond male. The man sat on a couch by the fireplace, staring blankly down at a book he held. His eyes shined an unrecognizable emotion, as they rose from the words and met with Kurogane's stare.

"Hey," Fai smiled, closing the book and lifting himself into an upright position.

Kurogane nodded his head in greeting, and sat down in an arm chair beside the couch. "What are you doing up so late?" he asked gruffly.

"I was waiting for you of course!"

"Shut up, idiot."

"I really was Kuro-sama! ~" Fai playfully brought his hand to his mouth, melodramatically sighing, "You never believe me, mean Kuro-rin."

Kurogane glared at the fool, "Listen magician, I already told you that I'm tired of your games."

Dead eyes and a wide smile replied, "I'm not playing anything. I was waiting for you."

His fist clenched in frustration, as anger bubbled up his throat. "Why do you say that when you act as if it doesn't matter?" The man rose from his seat, and stormed towards a calm Fai, "You say that you were waiting for me, that you love me, but all you do is stay in your own little world! What am I supposed to do if you won't let me know a damn thing?"

Kurogane had grabbed a fistful of the other's shirt, and was gazing into Fai's averted eyes. This seemed so hopeless. He'd tried so long to make Fai open up, to make him tell him what he wanted, what would save him, but it was going nowhere. All the other did was become more distant, hiding his secrets behind a front of idiocy. What could Kurogane do to make the other understand he didn't give a damn about who Fai was before? As long as Fai would just tell him the truth, Kurogane could start to fix the mess the lay before him.

Kurogane was brought back to reality by the cool feel of fingertips brushing against his cheek. Fai's visage transformed from collected to flustered, leaving the ninja at a loss.

"You have a mark here," the blond said, rubbing away at Kurogane's cheek.

That hardly explained the reason for Fai's sudden change of mood. Kurogane released the magician, letting him fall back onto the couch and away from his intent rubbing. "What's so important about a mark?"

The blond didn't answer for a moment, instead bringing his finger tips to his nose and smelling whatever had been on Kurogane's cheek.

Before the black haired man could inquire if the other had lost his mind, Fai chirped up, "It's lipstick. From a woman."

Kurogane's hand shot up to his cheek, and felt the remaining residue. It had the smooth, creamy texture of a woman's lips; to be more accurate, of a witch's lips. So that was what Mimori had meant when she'd disappear and said, "That'll surely make him jealous." She had purposely left her mark there for Fai to see.

"So you were with a woman?"

Kurogane looked down at the blond, who was acting nonchalantly about the possibility. He didn't even look vaguely concerned. The witch could have been wrong in assuming that Fai would be jealous. The other didn't see Kurogane as his lover, so if the ninja had kiss marks on his cheek, there really was no need for him to feel anything other than curiosity.

Yet, that look when Fai had first seen the mark had to have meant something. The blond had been so surprised, and so shocked. It was as if he'd had the breath knocked out of him, if for only a second.

"It's nothing important."Kurogane replied, beginning to walk away from Fai. He wouldn't tell the other about the witch, or how nothing had actually happened. The blond probably didn't even give a damn.

"Ah, okay then…"

The other's tone of voice urged the ninja to turn back, only to see a smiling face staring back at him. What lay behind that mask, Kurogane was too exhausted to attempt to decipher.

Without further hesitation, the black haired man continued to walk away from the other, oblivious to what he'd just started.

...

_Fai was alone again. He was alone with his cracking smile as he sat there on that little couch. He didn't want to care. He'd sworn to never really care. But the moment he saw that lipstick mark on Kurogane's face, he felt in danger. All he wanted to do was erase that mark from Kurogane's cheek. That had not belonged there! Its repulsing red hue was so intimidating, so scary, it made Fai petrified._

_Kurogane cared about him, right? The other was always telling him how he did. But, what if this woman was better than him? What if Kurogane preferred her shape, her voice, and her uncomplicated love?_

_Fai bit his lip, his smile long dissolved off his face. For the first time since his world, since his brother, he was scared to lose something once again._


End file.
